Kentaro Miura’s death in 2021 left a big question for his magnum opus, Berserk. Fans were depressed as they could not find out about the ending of one of the most popular anime and manga series in the world. However, Miura’s best friend, Kouji Mori, decided to take on his legacy and is now continuing the story.
Mori was the only one who knew the ending of Berserk. This is why he collaborated with Studio Gaga, which was the manga production studio of Berserk. Together, they are now working on bringing Berserk to fruition with the help of the ending that was originally planned by Miura before he passed away.
However, contrary to popular belief, Berserk’s ending might not be as dark as the original storyline. This was stated by Miura in an interview when he explained that he had already planned the ending of Berserk and that he did not want Guts (the protagonist of the series) to have a grim ending.
Kentaro Miura Planned Out the Final Moves of Berserk
Before the release of volume 20 of Berserk in 2000, Miura was interviewed by Yukari Fujimoto, and this interview was translated and shared by Mangabrog, where he discussed the various aspects of his manga and how he created such a great narrative. While discussing all things, Miura explained how he planned the final moves of the story.
Miura stated:
I’d say it’s possible. I used to have the final moves planned out, but lately I’ve been thinking I’d rather figure them out when I come to it, so now it’s hard to say what could happen.
The mangaka stated that although he had already planned what was going to happen in the final, he decided to go with the flow and, if necessary, change his plans. This is why he had no idea whether he would go for the ending he had planned or figure it out when he reached there.
Berserk Might Not Have a Grim Ending
During the interview, Kentaro Miura also talked about how, although he might have changed the ending of Berserk, the one thing that he would not change is the nature of the ending. Berserk being a dark manga has led many to believe that its conclusion will also feature some pretty dark moments. But Miura disagrees with this.
Miura stated:
Being the sort of person I am, though, I actually don’t think I could let such a long grim story end with a grim ending — like, say, having him suddenly die. I don’t really like that kind of entertainment. I’ll leave it to my subconscious.
According to Miura, he did not liked the idea of Berserk getting a grim ending only because it is a dark narrative.
He wanted the story to have a happy ending that would somehow bring an end to all the grim and sad moments from the series and give Guts the happiness he deserved after enduring so much frustration and sadness for so long.
You can read the Berserk manga on Dark Horse.
